Multi-tank onsite flowable fill system and related methods

ABSTRACT

A system to manufacture a native soil flowable fill onsite includes hydro excavation equipment having a suction hose. In addition, the system includes a plurality of onsite debris tanks, where each onsite debris tank is configured to be coupled separately to the suction hose and to store native soil vacuumed from an adjacent hole at an onsite excavation. The system also includes a mixing apparatus inside each of the onsite debris tanks configured to mix the native soil from the adjacent hole with additional components to form a native soil flowable fill for the respective adjacent hole.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/817,354 filed Aug. 4, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,593,457, which claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/032,753 filed on Aug. 4, 2014, all the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of hydro excavation, and, more particularly, to a multi-tank onsite flowable fill system and related methods.

BACKGROUND

Industrial vacuum equipment has dozens of wet and dry uses such as locating underground utilities (potholing), hydro-excavation, air excavation and vacuum excavation. In addition, the equipment can be used for directional drilling slurry removal, industrial clean-up, waste clean-up, lateral and storm drain clean-out, oil spill clean-up and other natural disaster clean-up applications.

In particular, hydro excavation applications use a combination of high pressure water and suction to dig a hole and vacuum the soil and water into a tank. The hydro excavation equipment may be mounted to a truck or trailer and is typically powered by gas or diesel engines. The native soil that is removed during hydro excavation is typically hauled away for disposal. Dry fill materials are then hauled back to the job site to back fill the hole and are compacted in place. The hauling of the native soil away from the job site and hauling new dry material back to the job site for compaction adds time and costs to the project. Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method to reuse native soils on-site in order to reduce time and costs during construction.

However, in view of the prior art at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the identified needs could be fulfilled.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a multi-tank onsite flowable fill system. The system includes hydro excavation equipment having a suction hose. In addition, the system includes a plurality of onsite debris tanks, where each onsite debris tank is configured to be coupled separately to the suction hose and to store native soil vacuumed from an adjacent hole at an onsite excavation. The system also includes a mixing apparatus inside each of the onsite debris tanks configured to mix the native soil from the adjacent hole with additional components to form a native soil flowable fill for the respective adjacent hole.

In another embodiment, a method to manufacture a native soil flowable fill onsite includes providing a plurality of onsite debris tanks, and hydro excavating native soil to form a plurality of holes at an excavation. The method also includes positioning an onsite debris tank adjacent to a respective hole, transferring the native soil from each of the plurality of holes to a respective onsite debris tank adjacent to the respective hole, and adding a pozzolan component, cement and water to the respective onsite debris tank adjacent to the respective hole. In addition, the method includes mixing the native soil in the respective onsite debris tank adjacent to the respective hole to form the native soil flowable fill, and transferring the native soil flowable fill back to the respective hole from where the native soil was hydro excavated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-tank onsite flowable fill system in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the multi-tank onsite flowable fill system;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a vehicle and excavation equipment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a debris tank placed on site and coupled to the excavation equipment and suction wand;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the debris tank; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5 of the debris tank, showing the mixing paddles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

In a particular exemplary embodiment, the method to manufacture a native soil flowable fill includes hydro excavating native soil to form a hole at a first excavation, transferring the native soil from the first excavation to a debris tank, and adding a pozzolan component, cement and water to the debris tank. The method also includes mixing the native soil in the debris tank using a mixing apparatus to form the native soil flowable fill, and transferring the native soil flowable fill back to the first excavation into the hole. The native soil flowable fill may comprise 30-90% by weight of native soil, 0-50% by weight of the added pozzolan component, 0-50% by weight of the cement, and 10-45% by weight of the water.

As described above, the native soil flowable fill product includes a cement component and an aggregate component of native soils that are mixed with water in a sufficient amount. This provides a cement-based material in a flowable state that can be set in a controlled manner. The flowable fill is self compacting and has a flowable consistency. The homogenous mixing also facilitates control of the set time of the flowable fill product. The flowable fill can be effectively utilized as a fill material in a variety of different applications such as trench backfill, erosion control, pipe bedding, subbase stabilization, sinkhole fills, confined spaces, and other suitable areas.

The native soil flowable fill is non-corrosive to pipes and poles that may be encased in the flowable fill. The native soil flowable fill may include a cement component, an aggregate of native soils, other aggregates, water, or any combination thereof, in order to control the desired characteristics of the flowable fill. The cement component may include Portland cement and other materials such as kiln dust, fly ash, or other (natural and artificial) pozzolana materials. The additional cement components may be derived from any suitable materials and in any suitable manner. For example, the kiln dust can be derived from the manufacture of Portland cement. The aggregate component is made with the native soils that are excavated on the job site. Additional aggregates may also be added to the flowable fill that can include recycled materials or reclaimed materials, for example. The water component may include potable water, reclaimed water, or water from a naturally occurring water source proximate the job site, such as a pond or stream.

In a particular exemplary embodiment, a chemical agent may also be used to promote fast and effective set characteristics. The chemical agent can include any suitable type of material.

The cement and aggregate components of the present invention are mixed and further processed in a sufficient amount of water such that the desired mechanical properties, strength properties and the like can be achieved. The cement and aggregate components once processed form a liquid and flowable state. After a desired period of time, the flowable state can set to a settable state in a controlled manner. The native soil flowable fill is self compacting and may be used as a backfill or structural fill in lieu of compacted fill. The set product may be readily excavated with conventional handheld digging tools.

In a particular exemplary embodiment, the aggregate component includes native soil that is excavated to form a trench, for example. The native soil is transferred from the first excavation to a debris tank. Typically, a vacuum pump is used to provide suction to a hose in order to transfer the native soil to the debris tank. If high pressure water is used in the excavation (i.e., hydro excavation), then both the water remaining from performing the excavation and the native soil are vacuumed up under suction. Once the native soil (and water) are in the debris tank, a pozzolan component, cement and additional water may be added to the debris tank and mixed together to form the native soil flowable fill, which may then be transferred back to the first excavation and into the trench, for example.

The native soil flowable fill may include 30-90% by weight of native soil, 0-50% by weight of the added pozzolan component, 0-50% by weight of the cement, and 10-45% by weight of the water, in a particular embodiment. In addition, an amount, by weight, of the added pozzolan component added to the native soil flowable fill may be a function of an amount, by weight, of siliceous material present in the native soil when transferred to the mixing tank. For example, in some geographic areas, natural pozzolanas (e.g., siliceous material) may be present in the native soil. Accordingly, less of an additional pozzolan component is required for the flowable fill as the native soil contains material that acts as a natural pozzolan.

Alternatively, more additional pozzolan component may be required where there may be little to no natural pozzolan present in the native soil. Similarly, the amount, by weight, of the cement added to the native soil flowable fill may be a function of an amount, by weight, of sand present in the native soil per volume when transferred to the mixing tank. Thus, more sand that is present in the native soil, the less cement that is required for the native soil flowable fill, and the less sand present in the native soil may require more cement for the native soil flowable fill.

Also, an amount, by weight, of the water added to the native soil flowable fill may be a function of an amount, by weight, of water present with the native soil when transferred to the debris tank. In particular, when the hydro excavation of the native soil includes using pressurized water to dislodge the native soil, then less additional water is required to be added for the native soil flowable fill. The hydro excavation is performed using a vacuum hose with suction to excavate the native soil and the water (e.g., a slurry) from the trench to the debris tank. When the excavating is performed without pressurized water, then more water is required to be added to form the native soil flowable fill.

If the fill is desired to be considered dry, then additional dry material of up to 49 percent can be added (e.g., soil) to the mixing tank. The additional dry material increases the surface area causing the native soil flowable fill to dry out, which then can be added back to the excavation hole and compacted.

Further, the first excavation may be defined by a geographic physical area where the native soil has the substantially same amount of the pozzolan component by weight, per volume of native soil. For example, the native soil flowable fill may be used throughout the same geographical area where the pozzolan component is substantially the same. However, the native soil flowable fill is preferably not transported to a second area where the pozzolan component, by weight, per volume of native soil, is substantially different from the area of the first excavation.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, in a particular exemplary embodiment of the system to produce native soil flowable fill, a plurality of debris tanks 108 are shown unloaded from a trailer 106. A crane 105 is used to load and unload the debris tanks 108 from the trailer 106. A truck 102 is used to pull the trailer 106 to the desired excavation site in order to unload a debris tank 108 spaced apart from adjacent debris tanks 108 and where needed.

Vacuum equipment 104 (e.g., engine, pump, and filter) is mounted to the truck 102 and is configured to be coupled to each of the debris tanks 108 to provide suction required for an excavation operation. The truck 102 may also carry water for hydro excavation, fly ash, and any other needed equipment and materials for the excavation operation.

As shown in FIG. 4, a first end of a suction hose 110 is coupled to the excavation equipment 104 mounted to the truck 102. A second end of the suction hose 110 is coupled to the vacuum port 120 of the debris tank 108 to provide the suction to the debris tank 108. A first end of a hydro excavation hose 112 is coupled to the suction port 122 of the debris tank 108. A second end of the hydro excavation hose 112 is coupled to a suction wand 114. The suction wand 114 is used by an operator 116 to excavate a hole in the ground surface 118. The excavation materials are carried via the hydro excavation hose 112 to the respective debris tank 108. Although, a plurality of debris tanks 108 are shown, the disclosure herein is not limited and the system may have a single debris tank 108 instead of a plurality of debris tanks 108. Further, the size of each debris tank 108 may be different where a first debris tank 108 may have a first volume, and a second debris tank having a second volume. Accordingly, a smaller debris tank may be used where less excavation materials are excavated, or a limited space on site for the debris tank is available.

A front elevational view of one of the debris tanks 108 is shown in FIG. 5. In particular, the debris tank 108 includes a door 126 that is hingedly connected to the debris tank 108 and opened using a hydraulic latch system 128. The suction port 122 is disposed proximate an upper portion of the door 126 and used to connect to the hydro excavation hose 112. An outlet port 124 is disposed proximate a lower portion of the door 126 and used to discharge the contents of the debris tank 108. A vacuum port 120 is used to provide suction to the debris tank 108 from the excavation equipment 104, which in turn provides suction to the hydro excavation hose 112 used for excavating.

A motor 130 may be disposed at a center of the door 126 and used to rotate a mixing apparatus inside the debris tank 108. An axle support 138 may be disposed on an opposing end of the debris tank 108 from the door 126 and used to support the mixing apparatus within the debris tank 108.

The hydraulic latch system 128 may include a hydraulic ram disposed on an upper side of the debris tank 108 and the hydraulic ram may be used to rotate the door 1126 upwards to open the debris tank 108.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the mixing apparatus inside the debris tank 108 is shown. In a particular exemplary embodiment, a plurality of mixing paddles 134, 136 are mounted to a center axle 132 within the debris tank 108 and are positioned from a front to rear of the debris tank 108. The mixing paddles 134, 136 rotate inside the mixing tank 108 to mix the cement, native soil, pozzolan component, and/or water to form the native soil flowable fill 140. The spacing and distribution of the mixing paddles 134, 136 within the mixing tank 108 enables the flowable fill 140 to be thoroughly mixed. Accordingly, the mixing apparatus may be integrated directly into the debris tank 108 in a horizontal (or vertical) configuration, for example.

The mixing paddles 134, 136 may be of different sizes. For example, a first mixing paddle 136 may extend to the cylindrical wall of the debris tank 108, while a second mixing paddle 134 is shorter and is configured to mix closer to the center axle 132. Accordingly, as the mixing paddles 134, 136 rotate within the debris tank 108, the native soil flowable fill 140 is thoroughly mixed. In addition, a flange may be mounted to at least one end of the mixing paddles 134, 136 to further increase the mixing of the native soil flowable fill 140 and its consistency. The flange is preferably relatively perpendicular to the respective mixing paddle 134, 136 as shown in FIG. 6, or may be another orientation.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed embodiments. A particular advantage of the method and system to manufacture the native soil flowable fill, is that the soil that is excavated is also used to manufacture the flowable fill that is used as the fill at the same location. Accordingly, the characteristics of the native soil flowable fill will be more compatible to the surrounding environment of the excavation location.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. 

That which is claimed is:
 1. A method to manufacture a native soil flowable fill onsite, the method comprising: connecting excavation equipment to a first onsite debris tank; hydro excavating native soil with the excavation equipment to form a first hole at a first excavation; transferring the native soil to the first onsite debris tank adjacent to the first hole using the excavation equipment; disconnecting the excavation equipment from the first onsite debris tank; moving the excavation equipment to a second onsite debris tank; connecting the excavation equipment to the second onsite debris tank; hydro excavating native soil with the excavation equipment to form a second hole at a second excavation; transferring the native soil to the second onsite debris tank adjacent to the second hole using the excavation equipment; adding a pozzolan component, cement and water to the respective first and second onsite debris tank adjacent to the respective hole; mixing the native soil in the respective first and second onsite debris tank adjacent to the respective first and second hole to form a liquid comprising the native soil flowable fill; and transferring the native soil flowable fill back to the respective first and second hole from where the native soil was hydro excavated; wherein the liquid comprising the native soil flowable fill comprises a flowable state when transferring into the hole and after a desired period of time, the flowable state sets to a settable state.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the native soil flowable fill comprises 30-90% by weight of native soil, 0-50% by weight of the added pozzolan component, 0-50% by weight of the cement, and 10-45% by weight of the water.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein an amount, by weight, of the added pozzolan component added to the native soil flowable fill comprises a function of an amount, by weight, of siliceous material present in the native soil when transferred to each of the onsite debris tanks.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein an amount, by weight, of the water added to the native soil flowable fill is a function of an amount, by weight, of water present with the native soil when transferred to each of the debris tanks.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: using pressurized water to dislodge the native soil; and using a vacuum hose with suction to excavate the native soil and the water from each hole to a respective onsite debris tank of the plurality of debris tanks.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the excavation is defined by a geographic physical area where the native soil has the substantially same amount of the pozzolan component by weight, per volume of native soil.
 7. A method to manufacture a native soil flowable fill onsite, the method comprising: removing native soil from a plurality of holes at an excavation; placing an onsite debris tank adjacent to each hole of the excavation; transferring the native soil from each of the plurality of holes directly to a respective onsite debris tank; mixing the native soil in the respective onsite debris tank to form a liquid comprising the native soil flowable fill using a mixing apparatus; and transferring the native soil flowable fill from the respective onsite debris tank to the adjacent hole; wherein the liquid comprising the native soil flowable fill comprises a flowable state when filling the first excavation, and after a desired period of time, the flowable state sets to a settable state.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising adding a pozzolan component, cement and water to the respective onsite debris tank.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein an amount, by weight, of the added pozzolan component added to the native soil flowable fill comprises a function of an amount, by weight, of siliceous material present in the native soil when transferred to the respective onsite debris tank.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein an amount, by weight, of the water added to the native soil flowable fill is a function of an amount, by weight, of water present with the native soil when transferred to the respective onsite debris tank.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the pozzolan component comprises fly ash.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the pozzolan component comprises a natural pozzolana material. 